Reading a Sculpture

Art interpretation and climate change

Jens Galschiot's Survival of the Fattest, displayed in Copenhagen Harbor during the global climate conference, features an obese Justitia on the shoulders of a frail African. There's an inscription: "I'm sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under the burden. I would do anything to help him. Except stepping down from his back."

In an explanatory statement, Galschiot declared that "climate changes can only be stopped if the Western World starts massive investments in energy free of CO2 and sustainable production." But you could easily find a different message in the figure, one that encapsulates the developing world's objections to international climate controls. The statue shows a West that industrialized, grew rich and fat, then passed regulations that restrain everyone else. Message to the climate conference: Lay off.

That isn't far from Galschiot's original intent. When the statue was first unveiled, it was a protest against the West's hypocritical trade rules. "Our chanted free trade is full of restrictions in defence of our privileges, while the third world is kept in misery," the artist explained in 2004, adding that "European dairy cattle receive two dollars per day through subsidies while one fifth of the world's population live from one dollar a day." If Galschiot wants to reinterpret his work for the climate debate, that's his right. But one rereading is as good as another.

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In an explanatory statement, Galschiot declared that “climate changes can only be stopped if the Western World starts massive investments in energy free of CO2 and sustainable production.”

We’re off to a bad start when he spews the phrase “sustainable production”. Why would you want that? For example, why make the production of Leisure Suits sustainable? Or of pet rocks? Or The Rocky Horror Show?

When the statue was first unveiled, it was a protest against the West’s hypocritical trade rules.

Yes, but possibly somebody told Galschiot that he better change his tune lest he is barred from the hip scenes.

“Our chanted free trade is full of restrictions in defence of our privileges, while the third world is kept in misery,” the artist explained in 2004, adding that “European dairy cattle receive two dollars per day through subsidies while one fifth of the world’s population live from one dollar a day.”

You know, I won’t argue with eliminating subsidies isn’t a good thing, but a betting man would place the bulk of wagers on the 3rd world kleptocracies (and well-intentioned nitwits like Bono and Geldolf) as to why the 3rd world is in the state that it is.

Arizona will no longer participate in a groundbreaking attempt to limit greenhouse-gas emissions across the West, a change in policy by Gov. Jan Brewer that will include a review of all the state’s efforts to combat climate change.

Brewer stopped short of pulling Arizona out of the multistate coalition that plans to regulate greenhouse gases starting in 2012. But she made it clear in an executive order that Arizona will not endorse the emission-control plan or any program that could raise costs for consumers and businesses.

The governor’s order is another blow to the Western Climate Initiative, a group of seven states and four Canadian provinces that joined forces in 2007 after growing impatient with the federal government to address climate change

The coalition agreed to implement a regional “cap and trade” system, which limits how much pollution companies can emit, then allows them to buy and sell pollution credits.

Someone needs to erect a statue of the carbon credit trading instigators/perpretators/financial beneficiaries of the climate change hoax (Strong, de Rothschild, Paulsen, Geithner, Bernanke, Brown)of an American taxpaying laborer with the above worms on his shoulders and with the Federal Reserve as a background.

My only point is that if you take the Bible straight, as I’m sure many of Reasons readers do, you will see a lot of the Old Testament stuff as absolutely insane. Even some cursory knowledge of Hebrew and doing some mathematics and logic will tell you that you really won’t get the full deal by just doing regular skill english reading for those books. In other words, there’s more to the books of the Bible than most will ever grasp. I’m not concerned that Mr. Crumb will go to hell or anything crazy like that! It’s just that he, like many types of religionists, seems to take it literally, take it straight…the Bible’s books were not written by straight laced divinity students in 3 piece suits who white wash religious beliefs as if God made them with clothes on…the Bible’s books were written by people with very different mindsets…in order to really get the Books of the Bible, you have to cultivate such a mindset, it’s literally a labyrinth, that’s no joke.

My only point is that if you take the Bible straight, as I’m sure many of Reasons readers do, you will see a lot of the Old Testament stuff as absolutely insane. Even some cursory knowledge of Hebrew and doing some mathematics and logic will tell you that you really won’t get the full deal by just doing regular skill english reading for those books. In other words, there’s more to the books of the Bible than most will ever grasp. I’m not concerned that Mr. Crumb will go to hell or anything crazy like that! It’s just that he, like many types of religionists, seems to take it literally, take it straight…the Bible’s books were not written by straight laced divinity students in 3 piece suits who white wash religious beliefs as if God made them with clothes on…the Bible’s books were written by people with very different mindsets…in order to really get the Books of the Bible, you have to cultivate such a mindset, it’s literally a labyrinth, that’s no joke.

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